Never Enough
by nightdancers
Summary: Victoria was a convenience, someone who offered safety and gratification. What she didn't know, and could never find out, was that there had been someone before her. Someone she could never replace.


**disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer, these are not my characters.**

**author's note: A short fic about James and Victoria. I spent the morning looking for different Twilight icons and stuff, based on the final trailer (OMG! -swoons-), and I kept coming across icons of James. And viola! Idea, writing, story. Read, review, let me know what you think! :)**

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**Never Enough**

Her beauty was not lost to me.

I saw it in her feline grace, her vibrant crimson hair, her full lips. I saw every curve of her body, and appreciated every touch she allowed. She had an animalistic ferocity in her eyes that only flashed when she was threatened, but it was the sexiest thing I had ever seen. Her voice, too. I knew what a dangerous creature she was, but when you heard you speak, really weave her words carefully… she could sound like an angel. An absolutely beautiful, absolutely deadly angel.

And for some inexplicable, stupid reason, she fell in love with me.

I always thought that vampire mating had to work both ways. That both of you would feel the same deep-seated love, the same attraction and desire to stay together. That was simply the way it was, the way I had experienced it before. Apparently not.

Victoria fell in love with me, but I did not love her. There was no way I could, I guess, because my true mate had come and gone long before she was even created. In the early days of my own creation, before I was even a decade old, I had encountered her. _Alicia. _

She had been truly flawless in every way. Dark chestnut locks and a softly angular face. Her lips would always curve into a smile when I kissed her, tasting faintly of exotic flowers. She would clutch at my hair and secure herself to me, pressing every luscious curve against my body. She had the most amazing curves, and I could never get enough of them. I could never get enough of her. Like every vampire, she had smooth and flawless skin, but hers always seemed especially soft to me. Sometimes it almost bordered on feeling warm underneath my touch.

We were made for each other, fit perfectly like two puzzle pieces. Alicia completed me in every way, shape, and form. And even though I felt very strong bloodlust in those early years, I yearned after her even more.

But my true mate was stolen from me too soon. Our travels took us south and we ended up in a territorial dispute with some vampires in South America. During those times we were so involved with each other we hardly took notice of the vampire world. When we did, it was disastrous.

We got caught up in the flurry of war, and my beloved was taken from me. She was torn into shreds by newborns, and I couldn't save her in time. I could only hear her screaming in agony, telling me in her last breaths to run away. I did, and I barely escaped with my own life. With nothing left to live for, I turned to the hunt.

If my own potential happiness was stripped from me, why should I care about anyone else? Over the next few decades I honed my senses, perfecting the art of tracking. It was so enjoyable to see the terror in the pathetic human's eyes, to drain them drop-by-drop so that they would feel the most pain. I never showed any mercy, because no one had ever shown _her_ mercy. Each human I tortured added to the pleasure of life. And while I never forgot her, as time wore on tracking became my greatest delight.

It wasn't until I caught scent of a new vampire that I got decided to switch it up. I had always hunted humans, but frankly they weren't very fun. When I caught the earthy scent of this unknown vampire, I decided I would track her instead. It had been about a century since the wars in the south.

She proved difficult to track. Every time I drew close, she would always escape my grasp. This redheaded vampire had the uncanny ability to run away using the most obscure paths, slipping away in impossible situations. No one had ever managed to stay away from me for such long periods of time. But I had decades of experience tracking, and it wasn't long until I managed to get close enough to see her clearly.

Of course she was beautiful. We stood about a hundred feet apart, breathing calmly even though we had run the greater part of the night. I had spent the last month, actually, trying to hunt her down. Somewhere during that time, my objective had changed. I knew instinctively that her ability to escape me, a trained and experienced tracker, could not be dumb luck. She had a gift, and one that could serve me well should the need arise. I needed this female – this fiery, downright sexy female – on my side.

Still, I had expected more of a fight. We had watched each other silently for almost an hour before she crossed the distance between in an instant. She stood a few inches away from me before pouncing on my form, causing us both to crash onto the ground with a deafening sound. I made no move to stop her, because her pounce was anything but threatening.

She had kissed me. Without warning, without saying a word, I found her body pressing itself to me, kissing me without restraint. Her curves pressed against my body in all of the right places, and I was not one to say no.

We had traveled together ever since. I had been right about her ability, and it proved useful whenever we encountered others of our kind. I was delighted to discover that she was as ruthless as I was, and enjoyed hunting down fragile humans, making them scream in terror. Not to mention she was a downright tempting seductress.

I almost had it all – physical gratification, sexual gratification, and security. I had everything with her… except a true mate. Sure Victoria fulfilled the physical desires, but she could never be enough emotionally. Even though I knew she loved me, I could not love her. But if I closed my eyes and ignored her earthy scent in my head, I could almost pretend it was Alicia kissing me, holding me, seducing me during the nights. I could convince myself that the fiery kisses were Alicia's, and not this other woman.

"What are you thinking about?" I heard the soft purr in my ear, felt her nails dragging lightly against the back of my neck. I couldn't help but shudder.

_Alicia._ "Nothing. Just hoping we can pick up a new scent soon. It's been too long since we've made a human scream." I sneer for good effect. I hear a soft mumbling against my skin, but can't figure out what she's saying because she's started nibbling along my neck. I can't help but groan, but it's for the wrong reasons. Alicia used to do the same thing.

"I love you, James." Victoria's voice is very soft. I never reply, and she knows not to expect it anymore. She just assumes I feel the same way, assumes that I was satisfied with her, that I loved her. She thinks she is enough for me.

But Victoria would never be enough.


End file.
